Two Favorite Novels of 2021 From Three Book Bloggers

2021 has come and gone and that made me wonder what are some of the favorite books of other book bloggers. So I reached out to a couple of them and asked them about their two favorite novels from 2021. Here are their choices and why they choose these specific novels.

Favorite Two Books of 2021

Marie Sinadjan

Blog: Not Any Bunny

Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

This is the first book of The Great Library series and I liked it so much I ended up finishing all five books (and the short stories) in a matter of weeks. The series is set in an alternate Earth where the Great Library of Alexandria didn’t burn down and instead became the most powerful institution in the world, and the Library had made it illegal to own original books. (If you’re not curious yet, read the prologue and be flabbergasted, haha!)

I also got really attached to the characters. Found family, anyone?

Things Old and Forgotten by Mae Clair

I had so much fun with this anthology. I love Mae’s writing style and she’s such a versatile storyteller, spinning so many different tales and each with a unique hook. My favorites are Kin-Sayer and Guardian, but they’re all great reads of the fantasy and magical realism variety.

Lisa Winkler

Blog: Lisa Winkler

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris tells two stories: Prentiss and Landry, freed slaves, are hired by George Walker to work on his farm. He and his wife Isabelle have lost their only son to the war. In the second story, two Confederate soldiers, now returned to their hometown, are discovered in a romantic tryst. These two stories combine in this excellent historical fiction set in Georgia as the Civil War ends and Reconstruction begins. A poignant tale, fast-paced, and gripping read. One of my favorites for the many themes and historical detail.

How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue is set in the fictional African village of Kosawa, where environmental degradation caused by an American oil company has ravaged the land and is causing deaths from toxic water. The country’s government, led by a brazen dictator, ignores the peoples’ plight. The novel tells how the people fight back and how their struggle against tyranny lasts for decades. One of my favorites for its parallels to present day climate change disasters, corporate greed and fascist regimes.  An important warning.

Fathiyah

Collectiveness

It feels so wrong to choose your top two books for 2021. Similarly to asking a parent which is their favourite child, it just doesn’t happen. Nevertheless, I was up for the challenge Ahaqir had for me. Here they are. 

My favourite book of 2021 would be – The love hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. This is the first book of its kind that I’ve read and it made a really good first impression. I’ve seen this book everywhere and needed to make sure that it was actually worth the hype. 

When two academics meet and start a fake relationship for their objectives, what could go wrong? It’s difficult not to picture this book as a rom-com, so if you love those, this book will be a real treat. The storyline was so cheesy and goofy and the start was a bit predictable, but the end was not the same case. 

I’ve never seen the format of this book before, so that was interesting. Just after each chapter, the main character gives her own hypothesis for the situation. This gave the reader just a glimpse of what they could expect in the next chapter, and, of course, kept you reading.

I appreciated how realistic the characters were. Many would judge the main character, Olive, as being immature and dependent, but in reality, most of us aren’t as confident as we would like. To make such a relatable character was great. I was impressed by the characters’ academic knowledge. It made more sense when I realized that the author has a PhD in Neuroscience. Here, once again, this realistic factor makes me wonder if the story isn’t based on a real story – which is brilliant. 

Coming in second place is “Digital Fortress” by Dan Brown. The book is a little older than “the love hypothesis” but still a great read. 

The book is based upon NASA acting as a watchdog for the US government. When this intelligence organisation detects a mysterious code it can’t break, their best cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, is brought in. The maker of this brilliant machine has mysteriously died and left only one passkey. Could NASA’s best people ever solve the code?

The book is written from mainly two perspectives. One from the beautiful, smart and intelligent Susan Fletcher at the NASA headquarters. The second is David Becker, her future-husband looking for a bit of cash and to impress his wife, who travelled to Spain for this impossible mission. 

The book builds up so well and it is fast-paced. You’re constantly guessing what’s going on and whose after who? There were a few times I wondered who the antagonist was. When first looking at the cover of the book, I didn’t think that I’d like it because, by using the terms cryptography and technology to solve problems which I know nothing about, I was concerned that I would not be able to follow the story. Fortunately, not the case. You don’t have to be a techy person to understand. Just so you know, cryptography is the encryption and decryption of messages into secret codes. All the problem solving, constant mystery and secret codes gave me some serious “The Blindspot” vibes. 

I enjoyed every aspect of the book. Yes, it’s an old book, but who can say no to a Dan Brown book? 

Thanks so much to Ahaqir who runs this awesome blog for the opportunity. I highly appreciate it.

Conclusion

What did you think of this format? I hope you enjoyed hearing from your fellow book bloggers. I will be continuing this format for the foreseeable feature so if you are interested in being featured, let me know in the comments down below.